Aklema Begum will not worry so much about energy bills this winter.

The mum-of-three would dread the colder months, knowing that she would have to dig deep into her pocket to heat and light her home.

Charged by way of a card/key meter, she and husband Syed found they were paying more than £150 a month, and often had to dash to the local shop to top up when the meter was low.

This year, however, the couple are paying energy bills by direct debit and are saving around £50 a month.

They have also applied for a grant of £140 which will be paid over the winter.

They made the switch after becoming involved in a scheme run by Bradford Environmental Action Trust (BEAT) to help families keep warm. In the past year the trust has helped 270 families apply for the Warm Home Discount, a one-off grant towards their electricity bill, made available across the country to low income families with a child aged under five years.

People can also be eligible if the home has a resident with a disability or someone elderly living at the property.

This has brought in £37,800 in savings to Bradford households, with further savings of around £18,000 - an average £294 per year, per household - being made by people who switch supplier.

“Energy bills are a big issue for families,” says Kate Urwin, energy projects manager at BEAT, particularly households who need to keep homes warm for very young children. We know the negative health impacts that living in a cold home can have and we are working hard to tackle this.

“This grant is available from energy companies but our previous experience has shown that very few people know about i, so we want to raise awareness.”

BEAT has been working with children’s centres across Bradford and Keighley to help eligible families apply for this much-needed help towards winter bills.

Ten sign up sessions are being held where people can bring bills and get help to apply for the grant online as well as switch supplier.

“We have given out flyers in various languages and hope people will pass information among communities,” says Kate, “We have visited around 100 domestic properties to speak to people who have been referred to us through children’s centres. Over the past year, at least 75 per cent of people we visited were able to secure cheaper deals.”

Advice continues to be given over the phone or via email.

“It s all tailor-made to match the circumstances of the individual,” adds Kate, “We look at how much energy they use, which company they are with and what tariff they are on.”

All families received general advice on how to save energy in the home - through making changes such as installing low energy light bulbs, draught proofing your house and fitting radiator foils to reflect heat back into the room.

“We will also find out about the age of their boiler and look at whether they are eligible for help with a replacement,” says Kate.

The work has been possible thanks to funding from the Scottish Power Energy People Trust which has awarded more than £12.6 million to 263 community fuel poverty projects since 2005, helping 1.34 million households.

BEAT is encouraging families to shop around to find a cheaper energy supplier. The average household can save £200 every year by switching their energy company, but this is very often more if a family is one of the 60 per cent of UK households who have always stayed loyal to one company. The largest saving found for a family so far by BEAT is £534 per year.

Says Kate: “We completely appreciate that energy bills are complicated, that many families are worried about switching and some may not have the internet or know where to start. We can give completely impartial advice on finding a cheaper energy supplier.”

BEAT has received many grateful comments from those it has helps. "The Warm Home Discount has been massively helpful,” says Naila of Thornton, “They put it all onto my electric, which will see me through for months and I can now put more money on the gas to heat my home.”

Keighley resident Neil comments: ‘The grant meant that I could get out of the emergency credit on my meter so I was no longer paying double every time I topped up. It is a great scheme."

*Anyone interested in the scheme should contact Kate on 07738 818391 or email kate@beat.org.uk